ANOTHER LIFE LOST

[Harold Scoggins]

The body of Greg Caristedt, age 36, was found in Crystal Lake, Illinois this past Thursday. Local authorities have reported his death as a drowning. His overturned kayak was found a couple days later. Although he had a PFD with him, he was not wearing it. He is survived by his parents and one sister.

[haggard]

Very sad and while we don't know the whole story, I'd guess preventable.

 

National Safety Council rates odds of dying from drowning at 1 in 1,188. Motorcyclist crash at 1 in 985 (I'd like to see stats on helmets vs none), car crash at 1 in 114 (I'd like to see stats on seat belts vs none). Source: https://www.nsc.org/work-safety/tools-resources/injury-facts/chart

 

If those were the odds of winning the lottery wouldn't we be playing every day?

 

It's saddening to see repeated stories of deaths with the same old contributing factors.

 

Take risks, have fun, and be safe; it's also about others, not just yourself.

 

@Harold Scoggins thanks for these reminders.

 

BTW, according to NSC and others, heart disease death rates eclipse everything.

 

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Sad ?. I wear mine 100% of the time on the water. 

[Bluebasser86]

They don't do any good unless you wear them or at the very least have them in reach. I wear mine 100% of the time on my kayak. 

[MN Fisher]

Kayak, canoe or boat - if you're not wearing your PFD it's value is ZERO no matter how much you spent on it.

 

And sorry @Bluebasser86 - I don't consider 'within reach' to be valid. Accidents happen and how are you going to grab it in a panic if something untoward happens?

[Bluebasser86]

19 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Kayak, canoe or boat - if you're not wearing your PFD it's value is ZERO no matter how much you spent on it.

 

And sorry @Bluebasser86 - I don't consider 'within reach' to be valid. Accidents happen and how are you going to grab it in a panic if something untoward happens?

That's the minimum Kansas requires, they can't be in storage of the boat to count. At least if they're floating and you're floating there's a chance to use them. If they're in the boats storage while it's sinking to the bottom of the lake they're not going to do any good. 

[MN Fisher]

Just now, Bluebasser86 said:

At least if they're floating and you're floating there's a chance to use them.

It's the same here, but I have to ask...if you hit your head during your 'exit' from the boat and are knocked out - what then?

 

Sorry - no matter what the reasoning...not worn = not effective.

[TnRiver46]

18 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Kayak, canoe or boat - if you're not wearing your PFD it's value is ZERO no matter how much you spent on it.

 

And sorry @Bluebasser86 - I don't consider 'within reach' to be valid. Accidents happen and how are you going to grab it in a panic if something untoward happens?

I'm not advocating this by any means but my buddies sank a Jon boat back on good Friday and as it was going down, one of them put on a life jacket and threw the other to Ryan and said "you're about to need this." It's a far better plan to already have it strapped on. I wear my styrofoam one in my kayaks all summer long, just think of it as a sauna session.... There's a lot of things out there in this crazy world that can kill us, I just try to keep my faith in the right place and use good sense as much as possible. I really don't even like paddling too far from the bank, flipping a kayak 1/2 mile from land seems like it would suck 

[gim]

I don't own a kayak but I sometimes see people using them and not wearing a PFD.  Heck, I don't even SEE the PFD either, so I assume they are either sitting on it as a cushion or its tucked away in a storage compartment.  I don't quite understand not wearing one in a kayak.  In a boat when your not using the main outboard you can make a case for taking it off during these warm summer months but in a kayak it just doesn't make a whole lotta sense to me.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, gimruis said:

In a boat when your not using the main outboard you can make a case for taking it off during these warm summer months

Rogue wave, trip over one of your rods on the deck, so many ways of getting tossed overboard... again, if I'm in a boat, I'm wearing my PFD.

 

Only exceptions I've done in the 50+ years I've been boating is when I was on one of those 50' party cruisers on Minnetonka...or the 40k-Ton cruise ship my wife and I spent our honeymoon on.

[Bluebasser86]

17 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

It's the same here, but I have to ask...if you hit your head during your 'exit' from the boat and are knocked out - what then?

 

Sorry - no matter what the reasoning...not worn = not effective.

I wear a manual inflatable, if I fall out and get knocked unconscious it won't matter if I'm wearing it or not. 

[MN Fisher]

Just now, Bluebasser86 said:

I wear a manual inflatable, if I fall out and get knocked unconscious it won't matter if I'm wearing it or not. 

Ya...I don't trust inflatables. Which is why I wear a 'standard' PFD...as shown in my profile pic. Ya, it's a little uncomfortable and in the heat I get a bit warm....but I'd rather be alive if something happens.

[Todd2]

I wear my A/M inflatable 100% of the time, even unloading/loading. I don't even notice it's on. 

 

 

There is a sign at Dale Hollow that says 138 people have drowned in this lake. All 138 were not wearing a life jacket. Keeping it close doesn't get it done. Also...wear your kill switch! 

 

Stepping off soapbox now.

 

 

[markedman]

Last summer a guy in Harrisburg got off a boat and while stepping on the dock he slipped and hit his head. He never surfaced and they found his body the next day.

 

If he was wearing a PFD, he most likely surfaced immediately even if he was unconscious. 

 

It may seem overly cautious, but the PFD should be on your body before you get on the water and should remain on until you are safely on shore again.

[MN Fisher]

^ This x1000

[bowhunter63]

So tragic.Prayers to the family